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WASHINGTON -- Twenty lucky followers of NASA's Twitter account will get behind-the-scenes access at the launch of the agency's next Earth-observing satellite mission. They will participate in a daylong Tweetup program at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Thursday, Oct. 27 and view the launch of NASA's NPP satellite, which is scheduled to lift off aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket between 2:48 and 2:57 a.m. PDT on Friday, Oct. 28.

Tweetup participants were selected from more than 625 people who registered online. They will share their experiences with their followers through the social networking site Twitter. Attendees are coming from California, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Kansas, New York and Oregon.

Participants also will tour Vandenberg's launch facilities, including a visit to the launch pad. Vandenberg is headquarters for the 30th Space Wing, which manages space and missile testing for the Department of Defense and places satellites into polar orbit from the West Coast using expendable boosters. Launch management for the mission is the responsibility of NASA's Launch Services Program at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

NASA has invited its Twitter followers to seven previous launches, but this is the first from the West Coast.

To follow participants on Twitter as they experience the prelaunch events and NPP's liftoff, follow the #NASATweetup hashtag and the list of attendees at: